


happy accidents

by imstephtacular



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Hurt Liam, M/M, all fluff i promise, fond zayn, otp, otp prompt, prompt, ziam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 19:16:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2823077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imstephtacular/pseuds/imstephtacular
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hi, I, uh…” a voice accompanying a knock at Zayn’s door stammers. Zayn approaches the door and, peering out, sees his neighbor— Lance? Lucas? Landon? he cannot remember honestly and he really never thought to ask— wincing as he clutches his stomach. “I’m, uh, Liam, I live…” he grimaces.</p>
<p>“Next door,” Zayn finishes, opening the door. “Yeah, I’ve seen you out running and at the mailboxes. “Are…are you okay, mate?” Liam’s expressions are obvious ones of discomfort as Liam attempts to respond, he lurches forward, clawing for the doorframe to steady himself. </p>
<p>Liam yelps in pain and Zayn leans to help him. “Wow, okay, what’s wrong?” Liam is still gripping his stomach and Zayn can see he is visibly in agony. </p>
<p>“I think…it’s…my…” Liam’s breathing gets heavy, punctuated. “Appendix,” he manages, flinching as yet another shot of pain spreads through his stomach.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>OR: Liam is Zayn's neighbor but they've never really been introduced until Liam knocks on Zayn's door, doubled over in pain, and Zayn is terrible in a crisis</p>
            </blockquote>





	happy accidents

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt: Your OTP are neighbors in an apartment complex who’ve never really talked beyond saying hello. One evening, Person A knocks on Person B’s door; they’ve injured themselves and need to be driven to the hospital.

“Hi, I, uh…” a voice accompanying a knock at Zayn’s door stammers. Zayn approaches the door and, peering out, sees his neighbor— Lance? Lucas? Landon? he cannot remember honestly and he really never thought to ask— wincing as he clutches his stomach. “I’m, uh, Liam, I live…” he grimaces.

“Next door,” Zayn finishes, opening the door. “Yeah, I’ve seen you out running and at the mailboxes. “Are…are you okay, mate?” Liam’s expressions are obvious ones of discomfort as Liam attempts to respond, he lurches forward, clawing for the doorframe to steady himself. 

Liam yelps in pain and Zayn leans to help him. “Wow, okay, what’s wrong?” Liam is still gripping his stomach and Zayn can see he is visibly in agony. 

“I think…it’s…my…” Liam’s breathing gets heavy, punctuated. “Appendix,” he manages, flinching as yet another shot of pain spreads through his stomach. 

Zayn’s eyes blow wide and suddenly he is shuffling Liam into his apartment and guiding him towards the couch. “Um, is there anything I can…get you?” Zayn fumbles, knowing it sounds stupid as soon as it’s out of his mouth, but he doesn’t think well under pressure and doesn’t do well around strangers. Liam moans from the couch and bites his lip in frustration.   
“Could you…please, maybe…” Liam tries, “take me to the…the hospital?” 

“Oh, oh of course, yeah, hospital, brilliant,” Zayn mutters, grabbing for his keys and slipping into the closest shoes, ignoring whether or not they match. “Yeah, here, let me…let me help you back…I’m so sorry,” Zayn mumbles, leading Liam back out the door and closing it behind them. “Car’s just down here,” he explains, leading Liam down the short flight of stairs, holding his arm gently and being careful not to jostle him any more than necessary. 

“Th-thanks,” Liam manages, twisting his lips into something that probably is supposed to be a smile, but with the underlying pain, Liam just looks more uncomfortable. Zayn nods and opens the passenger door and helps Liam delicately into the seat without hurting him any more. 

Zayn rounds the vehicle quickly and throws the car into gear. “Any preference?” he asks as he pulls onto the street. 

Liam chuckles lightly. “The closest, please. I won’t be picky.” He goes to smile again, but it ends up lining up with another searing pain in his stomach and he pitches forward. 

“This ever happened before?” Zayn asks, struggling for conversation. 

“No, first time. And I don’t have a car and I…” Liam flushes suddenly, although his cheeks were already fairly pink from the pain. “I should have just called 911, I’m so…”

“Hey, it’s cool,” Zayn replies, believing the words as he says them. “I don’t know anyone that acts rational in a crisis. You panicked. I live next door.” Zayn shrugs, keeping his eyes on the road. “Makes perfect sense to me.”

“Yeah?” Liam breathes. “Yeah, okay. Thanks. Thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it,” Zayn whispers, scanning for signs for his turnoff. “I’m Zayn by the way.” He doesn’t turn back to Liam, but somehow the air between them feels warmer and he can just tell Liam is testing another smile. 

“Zayn.” Liam says it like a prayer, like Zayn is his savior. “All these years and I never…” Liam trails off and looks to Zayn, eyes quickly dropping to the console between them. 

“Yeah, same,” Zayn musters, scratching the back of his head and chancing a quick glance in Liam’s direction. In all the chaos, he hadn’t gotten a good look and even in the times they have passed in the hall or on the sidewalk, Zayn is usually too busy flicking through his mail or switching songs on his iPod or zoning out the world to notice Liam as more than just another guy who lives in his building. But now…Zayn is peeking sideways at this boy, this flushed, smiling boy who is in incredible pain, but still managing to look like an angel, radiant and warm and soft. Zayn realizes that it is probably the haze of the pain or something like that, but Liam has this glow about him and Zayn has to actually pinch himself to focus back on the road. He turns left and finds the first available parking space before rushing to help Liam back out of the car. 

“I…I got…” Liam tries, only to be interrupted by a shot of pain. He reaches out to grip the car door, but Zayn catches him awkwardly instead.

“No, I got it,” he can’t help but smirk, fondly not menacingly, and does his best to wrap his arm around Liam’s broad shoulders and guide him to the door. Zayn underestimated the significant size difference between the two of them and struggles to help Liam hobble forward, but he gets a bit of a grasp on it as they reach the entrance. “Wait here,” Zayn instructs, leaving Liam perched on the edge of the nearest couch inside and speed-walking to the reception desk. “Hi, my, uh…my…friend is having really bad pains in his stomach, we think it’s his appendix, right?” Zayn is sweating and stumbling and the nurse at the desk simply smiles at him and places her hands gently on the desk.

“Hello sir, it’s okay. You’re here, that’s what matters,” she says, her voice strangely soothing. “Please fill this out and we will get him in as soon as we can.”

“But…he’s….he’s in loads of pain and…” Zayn argues, but the nurse simply nods and pushes the clipboard with the forms closer to Zayn and repeats, “as soon as we can.” Zayn sighs and takes the clipboard, chewing hard on his lip as he makes his way back to Liam. “We have to fill this out before they’ll even see you,” he explains to Liam, trying to remain calm. Liam reaches out to take the clipboard, but Zayn snatches it back just as fast. “Let me, please. It’s the least I can do.”

Liam heaves a sigh followed by a groan and settles into the couch. “You’ll need my help, I presume,” Liam quirks up his lips, smiling through the pain yet again. Zayn looks at him and thinks that he is starting to like this smiling boy and blinks himself back to reality, tapping the pen against the page to refocus his thoughts. 

“Yeah, might be a good idea seeing as I can’t fill out much more than Liam and stomach pains,” Zayn quips, pulling up a chair in front of the couch and facing Liam. 

“Alright, what do they need to know?” 

“Name, age, date of birth, usual,” Zayn ticks off, eyes scanning the page as he talks. 

“Payne comma Liam,” Liam says, a tiny grin playing on his full, pink lips and Zayn bites back a mirroring smile and jots it down. 

“Payne. Got it.”

“Twenty one, 29 August, 1993. What else?”

Zayn slowly searches the page for more information while secreting away the data Liam has just given him for later. “Symptoms, medical history, current medications, and allergies.”

“Sharp stomach pains, tonsils removed when I was eight, broken wrist when I was ten, wisdom teeth taken out when I was fifteen, flu three times in the past three years, wonky kidneys and terrible eyesight.” Liam’s eyes crinkle ever so slightly and he lets out a tiny laugh and Zayn feels like he is in on some private joke he hasn’t even heard yet and a warmth flares in his chest. “Oh and, I just take daily vitamins and I’m allergic to kiwi.”

“Kiwi?” Zayn asks, mild amusement in his voice. 

“Yeah, terribly allergic, had to find that one out at a family holiday party, wasn’t pretty.” Liam laughs a tinkling laugh and lets that smile pass his lips again and Zayn has to clear his throat and focus back on the page in his lap. 

“Right, I bet it wasn’t,” he muses, nipping at his bottom lip again. “Just a few more things, then.” Zayn finishes the last of what Liam has told him and keeps his eyes on the form. “Favorite color, favorite food, favorite superhero, favorite way to spend a Friday night?” Zayn teases, looking up through his eyelashes to gauge Liam’s reaction to his attempt at flirting. 

Liam squints, knowingly, but obliges. “Red, pasta, Batman, er…” Liam blushes, cheeks full and rosy. “To be quite honest, eating loads of takeaway in my sweats and watching movies or reading comics, sometimes both.” 

Zayn’s amused expression swiftly turns to awe and his mouth pops open just slightly. He clears his throat and shuffles the pages on the clipboard. “Well, then, that’ll do it then, yep, all ready to go.” He chances one last look at Liam before retreating back to the desk to deliver the forms. Handing them over to the nurse, he spots a vending machine off to the right. Feeling in his pocket for his wallet, he strolls towards it and surveys the options. Reviewing the few things he knows about Liam, he chooses three snacks for them to share, hoping Liam might like at least one of them. He heads back to Liam’s couch and spreads the treats on the chair. “Wasn’t sure what you’d want so…I got us some options.” Zayn absently rubs at the inside of his wrist, tracing his tattoo like he does when he is nervous, and quietly watches Liam’s reactions.

Liam’s face does that crinkling thing again and Zayn’s stomach swoops and suddenly he is starving and nauseous at the same time. “Unfortunately for you,” he begins, grabbing for the pack of Skittles and the Kit-Kat bar, “I like all of these. But I’m good at sharing,” he offers Zayn the bag of chips and snaps the Kit-Kat bar into two pieces, holding one half out to Zayn. 

Zayn takes the chocolate and bag of chips and settles back into his chair. “Thanks,” he mumbles.

“No, thank you,” Liam says through a mouthful of candy. “Really, Zayn. I should be thanking you. For…everything you’ve done for me so far. I…just, thanks.” He chews silently and the color returns to his cheeks and Zayn simply nods in reply, biting into his chocolate and relaxing into his chair. 

They sit in the comfortable quiet for a moment, eating their snacks and sharing small smiles. Zayn finally interjects, wiping the crumbs from his chips on his pants. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, my insides feel like they’re alive and clawing to get out like some science fiction alien creature thing or summat,” Liam replies, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth. “But it comes in waves and I’m much calmer now that we’re here and I’m hoping they’ll call my name soon and…I’m glad to be here with…with you,” he casts his gaze down and gently knocks his foot against Zayn’s shoe. “And you feeding me is an added bonus,” he adds, grinning full and looking right at Zayn. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Zayn hums, biting the inside of his mouth. 

“Payne, Liam?” a nurse calls from across the waiting room. “The doctor will see you now.” She waves him over and Liam looks to Zayn, flashes of worry and relief battling in his eyes. 

“I’ll just…wait here, then,” Zayn tells him, helping him up off the couch. “They’ll take it from here.” He tries to make his eyes reassuring but he doesn’t want to leave Liam’s side. Liam nods and turns toward the nurse. She leads him down the hall and into a room and closes the door and Zayn has nothing to do but wait.

**

Four hours later and Zayn has read through everything in the room, including two copies of Good Housekeeping, a Spanish newspaper, and a children’s book about a grumpy owl. He itches for a smoke break, but does not want to risk stepping out in case the doctor or nurse comes looking for him with an update on Liam. He assumes Liam is in surgery to get his appendix removed and he assumes the doctors know exactly what they are doing and he assumes everything is right and fine, but he cannot help but be worried because Liam? Liam is, simply put, lovely. They’ve only just met, but Zayn is captivated by him and his warm voice and the way his cheeks color like a schoolboy and the creases near his eyes and the way he acts brave like a superhero even when he’s in massive amounts of pain and…Zayn needs to know that he is alright. 

“Mr…Zayn?” a young nurse, confusion in her expression, looks around the waiting room. 

“Yeah, Zayn, that’s…I’m Zayn yeah,” he waves his hand and walks towards her.

“Mr. Payne wasn’t sure of your last name? But he said you would be waiting for him. He’s just getting out of surgery now.” Zayn tenses and the moment is fleeting before the nurse finishes. “He’s perfectly fine, I’m sure you’re wondering. There is nothing to worry about.” She gently pats his shoulder in that way that hospital staff members do in situations like this and he relaxes slightly. “Everything went as planned, very standard appendectomy, nothing out of the ordinary. Your, uh, friend…”

“Liam, yeah.”

“Yes, Liam. He’ll be ready for visitors shortly. He’s in Room 277, right there,” she explains, pointing. “I would suggest talking a walk or, maybe calling someone, if there’s anyone to be called? That should be enough time before you can see him.”

“Thank you,” Zayn manages, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The nurse nods politely and turns down the hall, leaving Zayn with a few moments to himself. He briefly reconsiders the smoke break, but quickly thinks of a better idea and drifts outside.

**

“Knock knock,” Zayn says and tentatively knocks on the doorframe of Liam’s room. Liam turns from the bed, propped up with a pillow, eyes sleepy, but still warm as ever. He motions for Zayn to enter and Zayn holds up two bags in his hands. “I…again I wasn’t sure what you’d want so I got us some options,” he explains, pulling up a chair to the side of the bed and spreading the contents of the bags on the end of Liam’s bed. On his walk, he had picked up an assortment of comics from a convenience store, a rented copy of the latest Marvel flick, and several cartons of thai food. 

Liam’s smooth, chocolate eyes melt as he peers at what Zayn has brought, what Zayn has done for him, and he places a hand over his stomach where he surely now has a scar and smiles, wide and bright and suddenly Zayn’s favorite thing in the world. “You…you didn’t have to…”

“I wanted to,” Zayn whispers. “Thought it might be nice.” Zayn fails to bite back a grin and scoots his chair closer to Liam’s bed. “How are you feeling?” He yearns to reach out and touch the soft spot on Liam’s belly that the doctors just stitched up, but he knows he shouldn’t. 

“Okay,” Liam replies dreamily. “Doctors knocked me out so I’m a bit woozy and fuzzy, but I’m not in pain anymore.”

“’s good,” Zayn says, wringing his hands, still itching for something. 

“Wanna see my scar?” Liam asks, eyes suddenly bright and childlike. 

“Uh,” and Zayn does, more than anything, but he wants to keep his cool. “Yeah, that would…be cool, yeah.”

Liam slowly lifts the blanket to reveal a long, thin reddish pucker of skin, curved just slightly into a sort of smile and Zayn can’t help but laugh out loud, a sound he immediately regrets. “Sorry, I, it…”

“Looks like a smiley face?” Liam grins. “My thoughts exactly.” Zayn blushes now, heat creeping into his cheeks, and smiles genuinely for the first time in hours. He draws his eyes back up to Liam’s and reaches his hand out and over the other boy’s. He watches carefully as Liam’s eyes soften and Liam places his free hand atop of theirs. Zayn stares at Liam’s lips and suddenly can’t think about anything but inching closer and kissing them, but they’ve only just met and…

Liam brushes his thumb over the top of Zayn’s hand and says, “Whatcha got over there?” nodding towards Zayn’s presents. 

“Well,” Zayn swallows. “I know it’s not Friday, but I uh, thought we could…kind of pretend it was?” He uses his free hand to drag the food and comics closer to Liam and looks back up into Liam’s wide eyes. 

“Spoiling me on the first date?” Liam quirks an eyebrow up and Zayn looks mortified, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his hand under Liam’s. 

“I…no…”

“Zayn, relax,” Liam coos. “I was just teasing. Sort of,” he grins. “This is really, really nice of you and I’m kind of glad I came knocking on your door in immense pain this afternoon.” Liam’s eyes shine with a mix of happiness and silliness and Zayn sighs. 

“Weirdly enough, I’m sort of glad, too.” Zayn squeezes Liam’s hand once more, pressing a tender kiss against the fabric of the blanket that is back to covering Liam’s scar, and reaches for the bag of food. “You choose, I’ll set up the movie, deal?” Liam nods and lets go of Zayn’s hand, tentatively. Zayn pops the movie into the player and quickly returns to his chair before Liam wags his finger and pushes over on the bed. 

“Unfortunately for you, I like all of these,” Liam says, rooting through the bag for chopsticks, “but I’m good at sharing.” Zayn climbs into the bed and curls himself into Liam’s body, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and a carton of food, and breathing out as the opening credits roll.

**Author's Note:**

> I made up some of the random details so it strays a bit from canon. Also, my knowledge on hospitals and appendicitis is pretty much just common knowledge and nothing more so that's that
> 
> This was so cute and fun :3 Hope you liked!


End file.
